UWG to hold Staged Reading of Toni Morrison’s “Dreaming Emmett”

The University of West Georgia Theatre Company and the UWG School of the Arts are excited to bring back to Carrollton Dr. Daniel Banks, co-founder and co-director of DNAWORKS, as the Michael and Andrea Stone Visiting Artist on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. Banks will direct a staged reading of “Dreaming Emmett,” a play written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison.

This event will take place in the Townsend Center Dangle Theatre on the UWG campus. UWG is the only university in Georgia to bring a staged reading of Morrison’s play to the public. There will be a community story circle (post-show interactive discussion) following the performance. Admission is free. Seating will occur on a first come first served basis. Morrison is the author of seminal works such as “The Bluest Eye,” “Beloved,” “Song of Solomon,” and many more. While most known for her novels, she did write in other genres and in 1985 wrote a play revolving around Emmett Till and how issues of race and gender permeate our current society.

The play opens as Till invites the people associated with his murder to a liminal, dream-like space. Till is making a film, “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.” He is still 14, but his guests are all adults – they have been summoned against their will and cannot leave. The play is structured as an act of restorative justice and is timely on many fronts – addressing police brutality, the historic and continued violence against Black bodies and the psychic damage this causes our nation as a whole, and the intersection of gender relations and “race.”

Banks first visited UWG as the Stone Visiting Artist in April 2019 when he delivered an interactive discussion titled “Community Keynote Forum: Breathing, Listening, Creative Change,” about the power of the “encounter” and theatre’s ability to create change. Along with his work for DNAWORKS, which is entering its 15th year, Banks is the founder of the Hip Hop Theatre Initiative and is an acclaimed director, choreographer and dialogue facilitator. He has worked across the globe leading arts-based social justice programs with artists, educators and activists of all ages.

Entrepreneur and community leader, Jonathan is the founder of The City Menus. Through his business he embraces his passion for community and small businesses. In his spare time he travels the country finding breathtaking landscapes, unique city murals, and tons of great food. Each of his travels bring him inspiration for another adventure.